BSU’s Invention Convention showcases innovations of local school children

Teams of local school children presented their inventions for competition at Bridgewater State Univ...

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

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Posted Jun. 13, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 13, 2012 at 1:17 PM

Posted Jun. 13, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 13, 2012 at 1:17 PM

Bridgewater

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Patrick Fuller was proud of the traveling water sanitizer he built with Beckwith Middle School classmates for Bridgewater State University’s eighth annual Invention Convention, where teams of local school children presented their inventions for competition.

“People are dying from water pollution all over the world,” said Patrick. “This could possibly save millions of lives.”

The H2O to Go – a hose with a built-in filter that suctions water into a container worn on the back – is designed to help people in developing countries like Ethiopia, where access to clean water is limited. That ingenuity was also apparent in the work of the 20 other competing teams of middle and high school students.

Inventions included an infant transport device, an automatic page-turner for sheet music, green energy products, and an advanced windshield scraper. Past inventions have included organic gardens in space, bicycle iPod chargers, and nutrition systems designed for people suffering from anorexia.

Each year, poster projects and skits acted out by the teams demonstrate the usefulness of their inventions while PowerPoint presentations explain how the students created their products. Students spend the academic year developing and building their creations with a teacher mentor.

One aim of the convention is to pique young students’ interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, said Mary Price, director of the Educator Resource and Enrichment Center, which organizes the event staged at the Moakley Center.

Bridgewater Middle School teachers Kelly Haefner and Elaine Watson said the convention helps motivate their students inside and outside the classroom.

“To have kids their age use teamwork to create something so advanced is not an opportunity they get in other classes,” said Haefner.

Watson said participating in such a large-scale event is a great experience for the youngsters, who do not usually have the opportunity to visit and present on college campuses.

“It gives these kids a chance to take their learning to a new venue,” she said.

Their Bridgewater students developed a prototype for an advanced smart starter for a car, which will start the car at a certain time and adjust the heat, among other things.

This year’s teams hailed from Bridgewater, Chapman, Chatham, Dighton, Foxboro, Kingston, Georgetown, Middleboro, Plymouth, Rehoboth, Walpole and Weymouth. Awards were given for first through third place, honorable mention, marketability and use of technology.

Page 2 of 2 - It was the first time at the convention for student Darian Radzikowski, whose Georgetown Middle School team built ultraviolet disinfection equipment for bathroom products. Echoing the altruistic sentiments of the other students at the convention, Darian said she loved working as a team to invent a device that could benefit society.

“It was really exciting to work on something that could possibly help the world,” she said.

Winners and their inventions:

First Place: Silver Lake Middle School in Kingston, Pressure Clock

Second Place: Beckwith Middle School in Rehoboth, H20 to Go

Third Place: Chatham Middle School, S.A.F.E.

Honorable Mention: Georgetown Middle School, U. V. Logistics

Best Use of Technology: Nichols Middle School in Middleborough, E-Hinge